Friday, August 26, 2011

Britt Dietz has been recreating the classic George Petty pin-ups utilizing photographs. You can view the website for the project HERE, as well as check out the Facebook Album and Britt's FB page.

"George Petty was a wonderful Pin-Up artist for Esquire magazine during the late 30s and the 40s. Especially during World War 2, his art was the most famous of the time. Painted on the noses of aircraft during the war by the crews, the 'Petty Girl' became a symbolic reminder for service men of what they were fighting for. I've always been interested in Petty's work, I believe he was the 'classic' pin-up artist and there's not been another like him. The Petty Girl was innocent, teasing, but never full revealing. The classic traits of a true Pin-Up. I came up with an idea last year to 'recreate,' through photos (as close as I could), all of Petty's artwork from the late 1930s to the 1950s. It's a daunting task that will take years to do, but a fun project that I'm very excited for and will including as many different models as I can shoot with till the project is completed."

Probably the longest and most painstaking Petty image I've recreated thus far, and this was the second attempt at it! The final image came out one of the best yet, matching the overall original artwork almost perfectly. I was really happy how the hair came out, which is made from 5 different shots of her hair flying in the wind generated by two opposing wind machines. One of my favorites yet and a lot of fun to shoot!

Britt created a nice little write-up on his process using this photo shoot, to explain in more detail of how he manages to recreate these stunning images.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

At first glance these wooden letters appear to be nothing more than a few blocks organized on a table to create a standard alphabet. However the letters are actually illusions of perspective, viewable only from the photographed angle, certain elements stacked high while others layered below are actually far in the background. Designed and photographed by Marc Böttler, see the full alphabet here.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Via NotCot: Paige Bradley created one of the most striking sculptures I've seen in recent times. Her masterpiece, entitled Expansion, is a beautiful woman seeking inner piece but fractured and bleeding with light

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Photographer Gregg Segal follows superhero impersonators from the glamor of Hollywood Boulevard to their homes, capturing them still in costume, going about their ordinary household chores. Segal explains his "Super Heroes at Home" project:

I followed the super heroes home to highlight the contrast of the fantastic and mundane. Though in costume, the super heroes are unmasked by the ordinariness of their apartments and their routine chores. While I photographed Batman, a family pulled over to take his picture. He strode up to them with super hero confidence and the children approached him with awe. He was Batman because he was Batman to them. Then late, in his apartment, when he'd taken off his mask and cape and was reheating leftovers in the microwave, he was merely ordinary. I could see what it was that drew him back to Hollywood Boulevard.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

You can tell from the smile on this art lover's face that she isn't really in any danger from the pouncing lion that appears within striking distance of her.

And the fact that the lion is leaping from a red wardrobe, inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia, tells you something fantastical is occurring in the art world.

As 'realistic' as it may look, this incredible painting is simply part of a new exhibition of four dimensional art in North East China.

The collection of paintings, on display at a contemporary art exhibition in the Jilin province, uses techniques similar to the 'stand-up' advertising hoardings that are sometimes painted on the edges of sports pitches.

With cunning use of shadow they trick the eye into believing that the images are leaping off the canvas, that arrows are firing towards the viewers gaze from the bows of cherubs, or that Pinocchio's nose is protruding wildly from the frame.

The pieces are a huge hit with spectators who have already shown a talent for interacting with the works to become part of the art themselves.

These photographs show how creative fans have snapped themselves holding the end of Van Gogh's paintbrush, shouldering the train of a portrait's flowing dress and, in one clever sideways snap, skydiving from the safety of of the gallery floor.